Newburgh man accused of vehicle break-ins

NEWBURGH, N.Y. -- A Newburgh man has been arrested in connection with a string of recent thefts from cars in the city, police said.

Ricardo Torres, 37, was arrested by Newburgh city police Friday and charged with two counts of felony criminal mischief, one count of felony grand larceny; one count of misdemeanor petit larceny and one count of criminal possession of stolen property, also a misdemeanor.

Police said plainclothes narcotics officers on Monday noticed Torres near the Newburgh Free Library parking lot, trying to break into a car with a crowbar.

Advertisement

Police arrested him and charged him at the time with possession of burglar's tools and possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanors. He was later released on his own recognizance. Police subsequently linked him to additional recent thefts from cars, they said.

On Friday, police detectives conducted another undercover surveillance of Torres as he walked city streets.

Detectives saw him enter an unlocked car parked in the area of St. Luke's Hospital and remove a GPS unit and other articles, leading to the felony charges.